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States get tougher on metal theft

Rick Neale
USA TODAY
8:15 p.m. EDT October 3, 2012

This photo taken on April 30 shows a cast iron radiator that was broken off by thieves at a property in Plains Township, Pa. More states are adopting legislation aimed at stopping metal theft.(Photo: Warren Ruda. AP)

Story Highlights

Florida is one of the recent states to adopt legislation aimed at stopping sales of stolen metal

Secondhand dealers must obtain statements, thumbprints and photographs from sellers

Forty-eight states have laws requiring scrap metal dealers to maintain documentation of sales

COCOA, FLA. — When a thief swiped three air-conditioning units over the Memorial Day weekend and caused $15,500 in damage to one of the 19 commercial buildings Ralph Perrone owns along Florida's Space Coast, he became so frustrated he formed a scrap-metal theft task force with law enforcement.

The task force is studying how to implement a new metal-theft law. In July, Florida became one of the most recent states to adopt legislation aimed at stopping scrapyard sales of everything from stolen beer kegs, A/C coils and catalytic converters to utility wires and other metal items.

Under the new Florida law, secondhand dealers must obtain signed statements, thumbprints and photographs from sellers; purchase metal via check or bank transfer; and transmit transaction records to law enforcement officials.

Forty-eight states have some form of law requiring scrap metal dealers to maintain documentation of sales, said Danielle Waterfield, assistant counsel with the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. Monday, North Carolina enacted a law requiring recyclers to take digital photos or video of customers posing with the metal items they are selling. The two states without laws are North Dakota and Alaska, she said.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau reported this spring that metal theft claims have increased 81% from Jan. 1, 2009, to Dec. 31, 2011. States generating the most claims were Ohio, Texas, Georgia, California and Illinois. The bureau reported the increased thefts were driven by rising prices for base metals—especially copper.

Waterfield likened the rise of state laws boosting punishment for metal thefts to tougher state laws combating drunken driving.

"We're seeing thieves rip off the air-conditioning units off local churches. We've seen them steal manholes, leaving gaping holes in our streets. And we're seeing thieves who are showing disregard for their own lives cutting into electrical stations," she said.

The institute has established an online metal-theft notification system to alert scrapyards of "hot" materials. Among the recent listings:

—Someone stole 10 to 12 500-foot rolls of copper wire valued at $2,200 from a city vehicle in Fort Collins, Colo.

Even states with existing laws are looking to get tougher. The New Jersey Legislature is considering a bill that would require recyclers to record sellers' license-plate information and buy metal via non-transferable check, among other stricter regulations.

The California Department of Justice will spend the next year funding and developing an online database of scrapyard metal transactions.